Mercan gives no jail time in hush money case – NBC New York

President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday to no sanctions in his hush money case, a result that cements his historic conviction while allowing him to return to the White House without the threat of prison time or a fine.

With Trump appearing by video from his Florida estate, the sentence quietly capped an extraordinary trial filled with moments unthinkable in the United States just a few years ago.

It was the first criminal prosecution of a former U.S. president and a major presidential candidate. The New York case became the only one of Trump's four criminal charges to go to trial and perhaps the only one that ever will. And the conviction came 10 days before his inauguration for his second term.

In about six minutes of remarks in court, a calm but insistent Trump called the case a militarization of the government and an embarrassment to New York. He maintained that he had not committed any crime.

“This has been a political witch hunt. It was done to damage my reputation so that I would lose the election and, obviously, it didn't work,” the Republican president-elect said by video, with American flags in the background. His property at Mar-a-Lago was defense attorney Todd Blanche, whom Trump tapped to become the second-highest Justice Department official in his new administration.

About half an hour into the proceedings, Trump said in a post on his social media that the hearing had been a vile charade. He reiterated that he would appeal his conviction.

Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan could have sentenced the 78-year-old to up to four years in prison. Instead, Merchan chose a sentence that skirted thorny constitutional questions by effectively ending the case, but ensured that Trump would become the first president to take office with a felony conviction under his belt.

Trump's penalty-free sentence, called an absolute discharge, is rare for felony convictions. The judge said he must respect Trump's upcoming legal protections as president, while giving due consideration to the jury's decision.

Despite the extraordinary breadth of these protections, one power they do not provide is the power to expunge the jury's verdict, said Merchan, who had indicated in advance that he anticipated a no-penalty sentence.

As Merchan said the sentence, Trump sat up straight, his lips pursed, frowning slightly. He tilted his head to the side as the judge wished him luck in your second term.

Before the hearing, a handful of Trump supporters and critics gathered outside. One group held a banner that read: Trump is guilty. The other held one that said: Stop the partisan conspiracy and Stop the political witch hunt.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office brought the charges, is a Democrat.

In this norm-shattering case, the former and new president were indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records, tried for nearly two months, and convicted by a jury on each count. Still, the legal twist and sordid details aired in court about a plot to bury the affair allegations did him no harm with voters, who elected him in November to a second term.

American voters had a chance to see and decide for themselves whether this was the kind of case that should have been brought. And they decided, Blanche said Friday.

Prosecutors have said they favor a no-penalty sentence, but they have rebuked Trump's attacks on the justice system throughout the case.

The former and future president of the United States engaged in a coordinated campaign to undermine his legitimacy, said prosecutor Joshua Steinglass.

Afterward, Trump was expected to return to planning his new administration. He was scheduled to host conservative House Republicans later Friday as they gathered to discuss GOP priorities.

The specific charges in the hush money case related to checks and ledgers. But the underlying accusations were dubious and deeply tied to Trump's political rise.

Trump was accused of falsifying his company records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels. She was paid, at the end of the 2016 Trump campaign, not to speak publicly about a sexual encounter she claims to have had ten years earlier. He says nothing sexual happened between them and he didn't do anything wrong.

Prosecutors said Daniels was paid through Trump's personal lawyer at the time, Michael Cohen, as part of a broader effort to keep voters from hearing about the alleged extramarital escapades of Trump.

Trump denies alleged meetings. His lawyers said he wanted to suppress the stories to protect his family, not his campaign. And while prosecutors have said Cohen's reimbursements to pay Daniels were falsely recorded as legal fees, Trump claims that's simply what they were.

Trump's lawyers tried unsuccessfully to prevent a trial, and later to get the conviction overturned, the case dismissed or at least sentencing postponed.

Trump's lawyers have relied heavily on assertions of presidential immunity from prosecution, and they were bolstered in July by a Supreme Court ruling that grants former commanders in chief sweeping immunity.

Trump was a private citizen and presidential candidate when Daniels was paid in 2016. He was president when the reimbursements to Cohen were made and recorded the following year.

Merchan, a Democrat, repeatedly postponed sentencing, originally scheduled for July. But last week he set the date for Friday, citing the need for finality.

Trump's lawyers then launched a series of last-minute efforts to block sentencing. Their last hope vanished Thursday evening with a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling refusing to delay sentencing.

Meanwhile, other criminal cases that once weighed against Trump have ended or stalled ahead of trial.

After Trump's election, special counsel Jack Smith ended federal prosecutions over Trump's handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. A statewide election interference case in Georgia is thrown into limbo after prosecutor Fani Willis was removed from it.

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